The Recommendation Economy
The Recommendation Economy
With Sydney Gore, Alexia Tamer, Shannon Maldonado and Emma Chozick
By HURS Team
Cultural relevance is the currency of our time. And social media has provided us with the perfect trading floor. What started out as a window into the world of the people and brands we value, has increasingly become a place for product endorsements and silent advertising. Whether it’s a recently launched mascara or a newly opened luxury hotel, social media has become an echochamber of ‘have-to-buys’ and ‘must-visits’ and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to identify authentic recommendations from the ones that are paid for. However, this phenomenon isn’t new. Where traditional media used to be the authority and filter, social media has shifted the power from magazines and publishers to individuals.
We all endorse products and places through our social accounts, making everyone an influencer – intentionally or not. While some have made a career out of it, others use their social profiles to showcase how in-the-know they are through a carefully curated edit of products and places. These cultural tastemakers are slowly becoming the arbiters of taste, building a cult following of those who value genuine recommendations. But what’s the next evolution of the recommendation, and where do we get the best ones from?
SYDNEY GORE
Sydney Gore is the Senior Digital Design Editor at Architectural Digest and Clever based in New York City. Her work has been published at The New York Times, Vogue, Wall Street Journal, The Cut, W Magazine, Teen Vogue, MTV, Rolling Stone, The FADER, and more. She currently works as a Digital Design Editor at Architectural Digest where she brings a fresh perspective to the table through dynamic stories that are shifting the culture as seen in her new column Rent Free.
EMMA APPLE CHOZICK
Emma Apple Chozick is the Head of Community and Curation at Thingtesting – a platform for real reviews from real people. She oversees the nearly 10,000 brands in the directory and the community that interacts with them, notably launching hero initiatives including Thingtesting’s product testing program, Thingdrop, and power user incentive programming. She is an expert in consumer trend forecasting, emerging brands, and community building. On the side, Chozick designs and builds furniture and runs @sitting.athome.
SHANNON MALDONADO
After working in fashion design for over 12 years at brands including Ralph Lauren, American Eagle Outfitters, and Urban Outfitters, Shannon Maldonado launched her storefront YOWIE via a series of experimental pop-ups and a small but charming web shop of just 12 objects. This month her brand will expand to include a thirteen suite boutique hotel and expanded retail shop. Past collaborators include Nordstrom, Fred Segal, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Lisa Says Gah, CB2, and ICA Philadelphia. Maldonado sits on the board of directors at Fleisher Art Memorial and South Street Headhouse District in Philadelphia.
ALEXIA TAMER
Alexia Tamer is the Founder and CEO of AmiGo Travel, a curated recommendations app that provides on-demand inspiration and helps you discover, plan, and enjoy experiences that are uniquely tailored to you. AmiGo is the social network for travel from a community of like-minded people and tastemakers. As an avid traveler herself, Tamer started working on the idea for AmiGo while attending Columbia Business School. With her team, she has since grown AmiGo to reach over 50 countries, and the app has been featured in WSJ and Harper’s Bazaar.
We asked four industry insiders what makes a good recommendation, if there’s a difference between influencers and tastemakers and the business behind recommendations.